Camera Mouse

Camera Mouse is a program that allows you to control the mouse pointer on a Windows computer just by moving your head. Clicking can be done by making the mouse pointer dwell over a spot on the screen.
The program was developed to help people with disabilities use the computer. The main audience for this program is people who do not have reliable control of a hand but who can move their head. People with Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, Traumatic Brain Injury, various neurological disorders use this program and its predecessors to run all types of computer software.


Camera Mouse works as a mouse replacement system for Windows computers so it should work with just about any application program. For example people use Camera Mouse with entertainment programs, education programs, communication programs, web browsers, and so on. (See the Downloads page for some of the programs and websites that we have used with Camera Mouse.) Camera Mouse works best with application programs that require only a mouse and a left click and that do not have tiny targets. It's easier to use Camera Mouse with application programs that do not require extreme accuracy.

What equipment is required? 

A Windows 7 orVista computer system and a standard USB webcam (or a webcam built into the computer or monitor). We do our development work with a Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910 or a Microsoft LifeCam Cinema. Camera Mouse works with other commercial USB webcams as well.


This program is available for free download. Partial support for our work came from the National Science Foundation* and now from generous gifts from the Philanthropy Committee of Mitsubishi Electronic Research Labs (MERL), from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, and from the Accenture Fund at Boston College. Boston College and Boston University also are most generous in providing support.


The original idea for Camera Mouse was developed by Prof. James Gips (Boston College) and Prof. Margrit Betke (then at Boston College, now at Boston University). Here are copies of papers on the original Camera Mouse from the 2000 RESNA Conference [pdf] and from IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering in 2002 [pdf]. Many students have contributed to the development of Camera Mouse.


For several years the Camera Mouse technology was licensed by Boston College to a start-up company called Camera Mouse, Inc., with headquarters in Texas.They developed a commercial version of the program that was available at their website at www.cameramouse.com. (You are at www.cameramouse.org.)


With the demise of the company and the revocation of the license by Boston College, we (JG and MB) decided to develop a new version of the program and make it available for free. Donald Green, former Boston College student and principal at Mekinesis, developed and implemented Camera Mouse 2007. Don expanded Camera Mouse 2008 to work with a much wider variety of commercial webcams. Camera Mouse 2009 and 2010 and 2011 are much smaller downloads and work on computers with multiple video sources. Matt McGowan and Don Green kindly volunteer their time to maintain and improve Camera Mouse.